Prepare for CMMC Level 2, DFARS, and DoD Contract Requirements
Organizations that handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) must comply with NIST SP 800-171 to protect sensitive government data. Many companies are not yet ready for full CMMC certification, but they must first implement and document NIST 800-171 controls to build a compliant foundation.
We provide full NIST SP 800-171 gap assessments, maturity scoring, documentation support, and remediation planning to prepare organizations for SPRS submissions, CMMC Level 2 certification, and future third-party audits (C3PAO).
What Is a NIST SP 800-171 Gap Assessment?
A NIST 800-171 Gap Assessment identifies where your organization currently stands compared to the 110security controls defined in NIST SP 800-171.The objective is to determine your maturity score, identify deficiencies, and build a remediation roadmap aligned with CMMC 2.0, DFARS, and federal contracting requirements. Our assessment includes:
Review of all 14 NIST 800-171 control families
Evaluation of your existing cybersecurity policies and systems
Identification of non-compliant areas and required improvements
Creation of an actionable System Security Plan (SSP)
Development of a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M)
NIST Self-Assessment Score calculation for SPRS submission
Understanding NIST SP 800-171 Requirements
NIST SP 800-171 focuses on protecting CUI in non-federal environments. It covers 14 core control families:
NIST 800-171 Domain
Access Control (AC) Awareness & Training (AT) Audit & Accountability (AU) Configuration Management (CM) Identification & Authentication (IA) Incident Response (IR) Media Protection (MP) Physical Protection (PE) Personnel Security (PS) Risk Assessment (RA) Security Assessment (CA) System & Communications Protection (SC) System & Information Integrity (SI)
Control Examples
RBAC, MFA, Zero Trust Employee cybersecurity awareness SIEM, log retention, audit trails Standard baselines, patching Credential management, SSO, MFA IRP documentation, response reporting Data disposal, encryption Facility access, data center control Screening, termination protocols Vulnerability scans, threat analysis Continuous monitoring, compliance Encryption, firewalls, DLP Malware protection, EDR, XDR
NIST SP 800-171 Assessment vs CMMC
FEATURE
NIST SP 800-171
CMMC 2.0 Level 2
Framework
NIST Controls
NIST + Certification
Mandatory for CUI
Yes
Yes
Requires Certification
No
Yes
C3PAO Audit Required?
No
Yes
SPRS Score Required
Yes
Yes
Documentation Required
Yes
Yes (More extensive)
Supports Government Contracts
Yes
Yes
NIST SP 800-171 Assessment vs CMMC
FEATURE:
Framework
NIST SP 800-171:
NIST Controls
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
NIST + Certification
FEATURE:
Mandatory for CUI
NIST SP 800-171:
Yes
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes
FEATURE:
Requires Certification
NIST SP 800-171:
No
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes
FEATURE:
C3PAO Audit Required?
NIST SP 800-171:
No
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes
FEATURE:
SPRS Score Required
NIST SP 800-171:
Yes
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes
FEATURE:
Documentation Required
NIST SP 800-171:
Yes
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes (More extensive)
FEATURE:
Supports Government Contracts
NIST SP 800-171:
Yes
CMMC 2.0 Level 2:
Yes
A NIST 800-171 Readiness Assessment is the foundation of CMMC Level 2 compliance.
Most organizations begin with NIST compliance before attempting CMMC certification.
Our NIST SP 800-171 Assessment Services
1. Documentation Review
We evaluate current policies, procedures, technical documents, and compliance status to determine alignment with NIST 800-171.
2. NIST Self-Assessment Score Calculation
We calculate your organization’s NIST SP 800-171 self-assessment score based on DoD scoring methodology, required for SPRS reporting.
3. SSP and POA&M Development
We prepare all required documentation for compliance and audit readiness:
-
System Security Plan (SSP)
-
Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M)
-
Incident Response Plan
-
Access Control Plan
-
Asset Inventory and Configuration Records
-
CMMC Readiness Report
4. Gap Analysis and Remediation Planning
We identify where your organization falls short of required controls and develop a structured remediation roadmap to help you achieve and sustain compliance, supported by complete documentation, including:
